Multi-purpose vacuum cleaner nozzle

ABSTRACT

A vacuum cleaning device having a stationary and a movable working member. The movable working member is shiftable between two end positions by means of a shifting device. The latter includes an operating diaphragm dependent upon the negative pressure prevailing in the vacuum cleaner nozzle and defining a chamber communicating with the suction channel of the nozzle and supporting the movable working member. The device is provided with at least one slide arranged to move between two end positions and being associated with blocking parts, the slide being so constructed and arranged that a working member is blocked by the blocking parts in at least one end position of the slide.

United States Patent n 1 Lovgren 1 Oct. 21,1975

1 1 MULTI-PURPOSE VACUUM CLEANER NOZZLE [75] Inventor: Kjell Ake Vilhelm Lovgren, Spanga Sweden 22 Filed: Nov. 19, 1973 21 Appl.No.:417,413

1660.864 5/1972 Schwartz 15/319 3,798,704 3/1974 Kilstrom et a1 15/319 3821831 7/1974 Grover 15/371 X Primary Examiner-Edward L. Roberts Attorney Agent, or Firm-Alfred E Miller [57] ABSTRACT A vacuum cleaning device having a stationary and a movable working member The movable working member is shiftablc between two end positions by means of a shifting device. The latter includes an operating diaphragm dependent upon the negative pressure prevailing in the vacuum cleaner nozzle and de fining a chamber communicating with the suction channel of the nozzle and supporting the movable working member The device is provided with at least one slide arranged to move between two end positions and being associated with blocking parts, the slide being so constructed and arranged that a working member is blocked by the blocking parts in at least one end position of the slide.

14 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures U.S. Patent 0a. 21, 1975 Sheet 1 of 3 3,913,168

wm wn mm N\ QN mm U.S. Patent Oct.21,1975 Sheet20f3 3,913,168

m? kw mw lsmw s Pa WBQ mw smmnw g 59% Q U.S. Patent Oct. 21, 1975 Sheet 3 of3 3,913,168

, vwt

MULTI-PURPOSE VACUUM CLEANER NOZZLE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In a known vacuum cleaner, the shifting device for changing the positions of the brush nozzle generally comprises a structure having a diaphragm on one side which communicates with the suction channel of the vacuum cleaner and on the other side communicates with the atmosphere. In this construction, the diaphragm operatively supports a brush nozzle which is generally vertically movable and constitutes a working member. Another working member of the vacuum cleaner is a fixed nozzle having a flat surface for engaging the floor or carpet.

The shifting device operates in the usual manner whereby when shifting to vacuum cleaning on a hard work surface, the brush nozzle is moved to engagement with the work surface. However, when the shifting device is shifted to vacuum cleaning on a soft work surface, the brush nozzle is moved to an idle position in which it is retracted into the vacuum cleaner housing.

The shifting device of prior art constructions operates on normal work surfaces such as hard surface floors or soft, thick carpets and responds automatically dependent upon the changes of the negative pressure in the suction channel of the vacuum cleaner when switching from a hard work surface to a soft work surface and vice versa. In certain instances, the automatic switching does not work satisfactorily, such as when vacuuming a work surface of artificial grass. In this condition, the vacuuming should be accomplished with the flat surface of the nozzle engaging the work surface. However, under this operational condition, the negative pressure in the suction channel will not reach a sufficient magnitude to make the shifting device completely retract the brush nozzle into the idle position whereby the brush nozzle continues to remain in contact with the work surface.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a vacuum cleaner nozzle in which automatic means can be disconnected and one or two working members can be blocked in the working position.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a vacuum cleaner construction having at least one slide connected to blocking parts and slidably arranged between two end positions, and the blocking parts in one position of the slide co-acting with parts on a plate movable together with the diaphragm, said parts on the plate blocking the movable working member in one end position of the slide, and assuming another position in which the plate is free to follow the movement of the diaphragm.

It may be desired to disconnect the automatic switching, for example, if it is necessary to brush the top surface of a carpet by means of the brush nozzle. In this situation, it is possible as a result of the present construction and arrangement to block the brush nozzle in the working position.

The invention will now be more fully described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. I is a top plan view of a vacuum cleaner nozzle with parts thereof broken away for reasons of clarity and in which the automatic switching means is connected;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view similar to that shown in FIG. 1 in which the brush nozzle is in the rest position;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view similar to that shown in FIG. 2 in which the brush nozzle while shifting from rest position to the work position and before the brush nozzle has been blocked in its working position;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the vacuum cleaner nozzle embodying the present invention and with parts of the casing broken away for reasons of clarity, and with the brush nozzle blocked in a working position;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along the lines \/V of FIG. 4; and

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along the lines Vl-Vl of FIG. 1.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The multi-purpose vacuum cleaner nozzle is shown in the drawings and especially in FIG. 6, comprising a top housing part 10 and a mating bottom housing part 11 which are removably held together by means of screws 12 and 13. The top housing part 10 is provided with an upwardly inclined tubular member 14 which functions as a coupling to the suction conduit (not shown) of the vacuum cleaner. A bottom plate 15, as seen in FIGS. 5 and 6, is secured to the underside ofthe bottom housing part 11 and forms together a flat surface member that is open on the bottom. It should be observed that the bottom housing part 11 is provided with wheels 16 and 17 journalled on axles 18 and 19 secured to the bottom housing part.

As seen in FIGS. 5 and 6, a thin diaphragm 20 is fabricated from a suitable flexible material, such as rubber, and is clamped between the top housing part 10 and the bottom housing part 11. In this construction, the diaphragm 20 together with the top housing part 10 defines an annular chamber 21 which by channels (not shown) communicates with the mouth of the nozzle suction chamber of the nozzle. The channel is formed by a centrally located tubular space 22 together with the connecting tube 14. It should be noted that the chamber 21 extends on either side of the central tubular space 22.

Referring to FIG. 6, the diaphragm 20 supports a holder 23 for a multiplicity of brushes 24 and is clamped between the holder 23 and the plate 25 positioned in the chamber 21. The plate 25 and the holder 23 are secured together in a known manner by means of screws 25a (FIGS. 1, 2, and 3). It will be noted that the diaphragm 20 is provided with a bumper 26, as seen in FIGS. 5 and 6, to protect the edges of the vacuum cleaner nozzle.

The plate 25, as seen in FIG. 6, is provided with two elevated housing portions 27 and 28 on opposite sides of the muIti-purpose nozzle within which are located casings 29 and 30, respectively. The wheels 16 and 17 are located within the casings 29 and 30. Furthermore, the plate 25 is provided with upstanding pins 31 and 32 for springs 33 and 34 fitted between the top of the plate 25 and the bottom of the top housing part 10. This arrangement results in the springs 33 and 34 acting on a movable brush nozzle formed by the holder 23 gripping the brushes 24 to move the brush nozzle into a working position with the brushes 24 engaging the work surface. It should be observed that the brush nozzle is connected to the diaphragm 20 so that the nozzle is influenced by the negative pressure prevailing in the suction channel 22 against the pressure of springs 33 and 34. Moveover, the brush nozzle can be retracted into the lower housing part 11 in order to permit the flat surface nozzle to rest against the work surface. As seen in FIG. 6, the downward movement of the brush nozzle is limited by the bottom part 1] whereas its upward movement is limited by the stop parts 35 and 36 extending downwardly from the top part I0. It will be noted that the stop parts 35 and 36 surround the springs 33 and 34, respectively, and also function as guides for the upper part of the springs.

Two slides 37 and 38 are supported for movement along the front edge of the top housing part 10. As seen in FIG. I, the slide 37 is urged to the left by a spring 39 that is positioned between the projection 40 of the slide 37 and a projecting pin 41 mounted on the top housing part 10. Similarly, the slide 38 is biased to the right in FIG. 1 by a spring 42 arranged between a projection 43 of the slide 38 and a pin 44 mounted on the top housing part 10. The slide 37 is linked to two blocking members 45 and 46 which are clearly shown in FIG. 1. Similarly, the slide 38 is linked to two further blocking members 47 and 48. All of the blocking members 45, 46, 47, and 48 are mounted for guidance between guide pins 49 in such a manner that when either slide moves, the associated blocking members will turn. The slides 37 and 38 are provided with slots 50 and 51, respectively, through which an operating device 52 is inserted. It will be noted that the operating device 52 further extends through a hole 53 in the top housing part and has a plate 54 arranged to slide on the front exterior surface of the top housing part II]. As seen in FIGS. 1, 2, and 3, a leafspring 56 is illustrated as being bent in a zig-zag form to produce three distinct positions V, M, and H for operating the present multi-purpose vacuum cleaner nozzle. In this connection, the operating device 52 is provided with a vertically projecting pin 55 that co-acts with the leaf spring 56. The blocking parts 45 and 46 are provided with perpendicular end portions 450 and 46a co-acting with the top surface of the elevated housing portions 27 and 28, respectively. The blocking parts 47 and 48 are provided with right angle end portions 47a and 48a. As seen in FIG. 1, the end portion 47a is shown located inside the stop part 35, the latter being provided with an aperture 57. Upon movement of the blocking part 47 in one direction, the end portion 47a is caused to pass through the hole 57 and to co-act with the bracket 58. Furthermore, the stop part 36 is provided with an aperture 59. When the end portion 48:: is located outside of the stop part 36 and when the blocking part 48 is moved, the end portion 48a is caused to enter and pass through the aperture 59 to co-act with the bracket 60.

The vacuum cleaner multi-purpose nozzle constructed in accordance with the teachings of the present invention operates as follows: Under normal oper ating conditions the automatic means for operation of the multi-purpose nozzle is in use whereby the operating device 52 with the pin 55 is located in the central position M, as seen in FIG. I. The slides 37 and 38 are in the positions shown in FIG. 1 in which the slide 37 is urged to the left by the spring 39 to engage the right side of the operating device 52. The slide 38 is urged to the right by the spring 42 to engage the left side of the operating device 52. In this position, the end portions 45a and 46a of the blocking parts 45 and 46 are positioned beside the elevated housing portions 27 and 28 of the plate 25. Similarly, the end portions 47a and 48a of the blocking parts 47 and 48 are out of engagement with the brackets 58 and 60, respectively. As a result, the movable brush nozzle can alternately assume a working position in engagement with a hard work surface and a rest position in which the nozzle brush is retracted into the housing of the multi-purpose nozzle. The working position of the nozzle is shown in FIGS. 4 and 6 and the rest position V is seen in FIG. 2.

Referring again to FIG. 2, when the operating device 52 is moved to its left and the pin 55 is in the position V, the slide 38 is urged to the left position against the action of the spring 42 and the blocking parts turn in a clockwise direction around the pivot axes formed by the guide pins 49 and the end portions 47a and 48a pass through apertures 57 and 59, respectively, to engage the brackets 58 and 60. In this manner, the brush nozzle is blocked in its rest position as seen in FIG. 4. With the brush nozzle in a idle position, the end portions 470 and 48a are held against the brackets 58 and 60, respectively. Inasmuch as the blocking parts 47 and 48 are made of a slightly resilient material, their end portions 47a and 48a can rest against the sides of the stop parts 35 and 36 with the blocking parts 47 and 48 being slightly curved. If it is desired to move the brush nozzle to the rest position, the brush nozzle may be moved either manually or by placing the same on a soft carpet with the assistance of the negative pressure prevailing in the suction channel of the multi-purpose nozzle. In this condition, the end portions 470 and 48a engage the brackets 58 and 60, thus blocking the nozzle in the rest position.

When the operating device 52 is moved to the right end position with the pin 55in the position H, as shown in FIG. 3, the slide 37 is urged to the right against the action of the spring 39 while the blocking parts 45 and 46 are pivoted around the pivot axes formed by guide pins 49.

If it is desired to move the operating device 52 directly to the position H from the position V, the operat ing device is physically in the position H before the movement of the brush nozzle from its rest position to its work position. It will be noted that the blocking parts 45 and 46 are fabricated of resilient material and as shown, are in the form of leaf spring elements that yield in the direction of movement. When the operating device 52 has moved to the position H, the blocking parts 45 and 46, as seen in FIG. 3, will assume the position shown by dot-dashed lines over the elevated housing portions 27 and 28. In this condition, the brush nozzle is blocked in the work position as illustrated in FIG. 4.

It should be apparent that the foregoing construction permits the automatic nozzle adjusting means to be disconnected and allows at least one working member to be blocked in a working position.

What is claimed is:

1. In a multipurpose vacuum cleaner nozzle comprising a housing having a suction channel, a stationary and a movable working member in said housing, said movable working member being adapted to move between upper and lower positions with respect to said housing and comprising a pneumatically operable shifting device dependent upon a source of supply of air at a partial vacuum, said shifting device including a diaphragm operated by the pressure of said partial vacuum and at least partially defining a space communicating with said suction channel, a plate in said housing and provided with at least two spaced abutment structures thereon, said diaphragm supporting said movable working member and said plate, the invention comprising at least one slide movable between two end positions in said housing, a pair of spaced blocking means mounted on said slide, each of said blocking means in one end position of said slide co-acting with a respective one of said abutment structures, the latter blocking the movement of said plate and said movable working member in said one end position. and in the other end position of said slide the latter assumes a position in which the plate is capable of free movement relative to movements of said diaphragm.

2. A vacuum cleaner nozzle as set forth in claim 1 further comprising a second slide, a second pair of spaced blocking means mounted on said second slide, and a pair of additional elements on said plate arranged to co act with a respective one of said second blocking means in one end position of said second slide to thereby block the movement of said movable working member in another position thereof.

3. A vacuum cleaner nozzle as set forth in claim 2 wherein said elements are hook-shaped parts.

4. A vacuum cleaner nozzle as claimed in claim 3 wherein said hook-shaped parts are constituted of a slightly resilient material.

5. A vacuum cleaner nozzle as claimed in claim 2 further comprising a common operating device for selectively moving said slides to positions in which said movable working member is blocked, and spring means associated with said slides for moving said working member to a release position.

6. A vacuum cleaner nozzle as claimed in claim 7 wherein said operating device is connected to said slides whereby said device can assume a selected one of three positions; the first position being a condition whereby said one slide is in its blocking end position while the second slide is unaffected, the second position being a condition in which said second slide is in its blocking end position and said one slide is unaffected, and the third position being a condition in which both slides are unaffected.

7. A vacuum cleaner nozzle as claimed in claim 6 wherein said third position results in a further condition in which both slides rest against said operating device by means of the forces applied by said spring means, and said operating device thus creating the unblocking positions of the slides.

8. A vacuum cleaner nozzle as claimed in claim 7 wherein said housing is provided with a part having an opening through which said operating device projects, said operating device having a guide pin, a structure on said plate provided with a guide surface having notches forming said three positions, and said guide pin being adapted to be selectively seated in one of said notches, said guide surface being resilient in a direction perpendicular to the direction of movement of said operating device.

9. A vacuum cleaner nozzle as set forth in claim 2 wherein said second blocking means are stop parts ex tending downwardly from said housing.

10. A vacuum cleaner nozzle as set forth in claim 9 further comprising a spring positioned between said plate and said housing, and one end of said spring being fitted into a portion of a corresponding stop part so that movement of said movable working member from the lower position to the upper position will be against spring pressure.

11. A vacuum cleaner nozzle as set forth in claim 1 wherein said spaced blocking means rests against the top of said abutment structure when said one slide is in said one end position.

12. A vacuum cleaner nozzle as claimed in claim 1 each of wherein said blocking means is constituted of a resilient material.

13. A vacuum cleaner nozzle as claimed in claim 12 each of wherein said blocking means are leaf spring elements that yield in the direction of movement.

14. A vacuum cleaner nozzle as claimed in claim 13 wherein each leaf spring element has one end fixed to said one slide and the other free end engaging an associated abutment structure. 

1. In a multi-purpose vacuum cleaner nozzle comprising a housing having a suction channel, a stationary and a movable working member in said housing, said movable working member being adapted to move between upper and lower positions with respect to said housing and comprising a pneumatically operable shifting device dependent upon a source of supply of air at a partial vacuum, said shifting device including a diaphragm operated by the pressure of said partial vacuum and at least partially defining a space communicating with said suction channel, a plate in said housing and provided with at least two spaced abutment structures thereon, said diaphragm supporting said movable working member and said plate, the invention comprising at least one slide movable between two end positions in said housing, a pair of spaced blocking means mounted on said slide, each of said blocking means in one end position of said slide co-acting with a respective one of said abutment structures, the latter blocking the movement of said plate and said movable working member in said one end position, and in the other end position of said slide the latter assumes a position in which the plate is capable of free movement relative to movements of said diaphragm.
 2. A vacuum cleaner nozzle as set forth in claim 1 further comprising a second slide, a second pair of spaced blocking means mounted on said second slide, and a pair of additional elements on said plate arranged to co-act with a respective one of said second blocking means in one end position of saiD second slide to thereby block the movement of said movable working member in another position thereof.
 3. A vacuum cleaner nozzle as set forth in claim 2 wherein said elements are hook-shaped parts.
 4. A vacuum cleaner nozzle as claimed in claim 3 wherein said hook-shaped parts are constituted of a slightly resilient material.
 5. A vacuum cleaner nozzle as claimed in claim 2 further comprising a common operating device for selectively moving said slides to positions in which said movable working member is blocked, and spring means associated with said slides for moving said working member to a release position.
 6. A vacuum cleaner nozzle as claimed in claim 7 wherein said operating device is connected to said slides whereby said device can assume a selected one of three positions; the first position being a condition whereby said one slide is in its blocking end position while the second slide is unaffected, the second position being a condition in which said second slide is in its blocking end position and said one slide is unaffected, and the third position being a condition in which both slides are unaffected.
 7. A vacuum cleaner nozzle as claimed in claim 6 wherein said third position results in a further condition in which both slides rest against said operating device by means of the forces applied by said spring means, and said operating device thus creating the unblocking positions of the slides.
 8. A vacuum cleaner nozzle as claimed in claim 7 wherein said housing is provided with a part having an opening through which said operating device projects, said operating device having a guide pin, a structure on said plate provided with a guide surface having notches forming said three positions, and said guide pin being adapted to be selectively seated in one of said notches, said guide surface being resilient in a direction perpendicular to the direction of movement of said operating device.
 9. A vacuum cleaner nozzle as set forth in claim 2 wherein said second blocking means are stop parts extending downwardly from said housing.
 10. A vacuum cleaner nozzle as set forth in claim 9 further comprising a spring positioned between said plate and said housing, and one end of said spring being fitted into a portion of a corresponding stop part so that movement of said movable working member from the lower position to the upper position will be against spring pressure.
 11. A vacuum cleaner nozzle as set forth in claim 1 wherein said spaced blocking means rests against the top of said abutment structure when said one slide is in said one end position.
 12. A vacuum cleaner nozzle as claimed in claim 1 each of wherein said blocking means is constituted of a resilient material.
 13. A vacuum cleaner nozzle as claimed in claim 12 each of wherein said blocking means are leaf spring elements that yield in the direction of movement.
 14. A vacuum cleaner nozzle as claimed in claim 13 wherein each leaf spring element has one end fixed to said one slide and the other free end engaging an associated abutment structure. 